The Last Blue Rose
by RumBelleDearie
Summary: In which Rumple finds out about Belle before the Curse. An OUAT twist to satisfy my Rumbelle needs:) Rated T
1. Chapter 1

He missed her.

Oh, how he missed her.

Why did she grab onto his heart so tightly? She was only a servant girl. A servant girl who was kind, intelligent, beautiful inside and out, and she loved him.

She _loved_ him.

And he loved her too.

But how could he allow himself to ruin her life like that? He could not offer anything close to what her suitors from her father's kingdom could. He was not the man for her. He wasn't a man at all. He was a monster.

And that is why he let her go. But he didn't know of her fate. The Queen had visited a few months after his Belle had been casted away. She brought news of death. Her death. Belle's death.

That wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to be better off without him. She was supposed to return to her father and have the best life she possibly could. Fall in love. Get married. Have children. Not die.

To make matters worse, it had been done by her father's hand. At her return, it had been thought that she was tainted, that the Dark One had ruined her. He sent clerics to cleanse her soul. Horrid forms of torture were instilled. And she couldn't take it anymore. She threw herself off a tower. All because they thought that she had been impure of soul. And it was his fault.

He was angry. Angry at himself. Angry at King Maurice. A parent should love their child unconditionally, not bestow this kind of fate.

And now as he stared at his old wooden spinning wheel, he tried to forget. He wanted to forget his pain, her pain. But he couldn't.

Not when he could still hear her voice.

_Rumpelstiltskin_

That was indeed her voice, but that was impossible. She was dead. She couldn't call for him.

_Rumpelstiltskin_, the beautiful voice rang again. This time, it was a little more scared and less confident than the one before.

A cloud of purple magic engulfed him as he sent himself to the location of the voice he longed so much to hear again. He appeared in a damp, cold, stone cell. Chalk marks were aligned in tallies about the walls. A hard slab of stone was chained to the wall in a horizontal position, to serve as a bed he supposed.

"Rumpelstiltskin?" she breathed shakily.

He twirled around to see her. A beautiful girl with matted hair and hardly appropriate clothing for the conditions that she was in. She sat on the floor, propped against the wall and looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

His Belle.

_Alive_

"B-B-Belle?" he stuttered.

She stood up and closed the space between them.

"I knew you would come!" she said with tears streaming down her cheeks as she threw herself into her True Love's arms.

Rumpelstiltskin, still in shock, reacted with holding onto her as tight as he could.

"How- I- I thought you were dead," he said , "Oh, my darling Belle, what has happened to you?"

"Do you know where we are?"

He took a moment to ponder this. He knew exactly where they were

"The Queen's castle," he said with gritted teeth as he released he slightly.

Belle nodded. "She captured me a few moments after I decided that I was going to come back to the Dark Castle."

"How long ago was that?"

"About a week after I left."

"Belle, that was six months ago."

"Yes, well…" she said looking down.

"Why didn't you call for me sooner?"

"I couldn't find the courage to do so. I thought you might not even hear me and I couldn't risk my sanity by you not answering."

She smiled warmly and then hugged him again. "Can we go home?" she asked.

"Of course, my dear, of course. But first, I must pay a visit to our dear friend, Regina," he said darkly.

"And do what?" she asked skeptically.

"Well, to begin, she told me that you had died after you returned to your father's kingdom. And now I found out that you have been alive all this time, and imprisoned by _her_," he snarled.

"Rumple," she said calmly as she brought her hands up to his face, "You can't give in. Promise me you won't give into your hate. Promise me that we can be together."

Rumpelstiltskin paused for a moment before letting out a sigh. "She will not get away this. Belle, what she did to you- to me-.."

"She will pay her own price," Belle interrupted, "maybe not now, or anytime soon but she will."

Rumpelstiltskin held out his arm for her. "Well, shall we?"

Even after everything that happened the last few months, all she could do was smile as she linked her arm with her true love's and was whisked away back to the place she had called home almost a year.

**A/N Hey guys! Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think:) And I promise, I will try to keep up with this story, unlike many of my previous ones. If I'm gone for more than a week, started sending hate mail or something and get my butt in gear lol Hope you enjoyed the first chapter and feel free to leave suggestions.**


	2. Chapter 2

A purple clouded released them into the dining hall. Belle looked around once the smoke cleared. Everything was the same yet different somehow. Looking at the large mahogany dining table, Belle recalled the story that Rumple promised to tell her but never did. She then turned her gaze to his spinning wheel. It was in the exact same state that she remembered it being in except now it was surrounded by empty broken liquor bottles. Belle looked at Rumple with concern.

"I tried to forget," he said simply. "Your room is exactly the way you left it. If you would like to clean up or change clothes, your dresses should be where you left them last. I'll be up shortly with tea, and then I will let you rest. I think it will be most beneficial for you to sleep in an actual bed."

Belle smiled and nodded. "Thank you."

Belle made her way to her room on the second floor. Apparently Rumpelstiltskin had not bothered to clean or touch anything at all during her absence. The stairs were in need of a good sweeping and every surface that she had passed had a fine layer of dust. Her bedroom door was still creaked open a smidge, exactly the way she remembered leaving it on her last day here. Upon opening her door, she found her bad still unmade, dresses strewn about on top, her dresser drawers slightly open and her closet open wide. Everything the same.

Belle found a suitable warm night gown and went to the wash room across the hall from her room. She found a wash cloth and a hair brush. She washed her face, arms, and legs, and then worked out the knots in her chestnut curls. She returned to her room afterwards, where Rumple was waiting for her with her tea.

He had placed the tray on the small table in the corner. He already had poured her a cup. Extra sugar and little milk. She picked up her cup and noticed the small chip on the rim. At this, Belle smiled.

"I thought you would appreciate that," Rumple said, slightly laughing.

"I do. Thank you," she relied. Belle tossed the dresses from her bed and into her closet so she could sit down with her tea.

"I'll leave you to it then. If you need anything, just call," he said before walking towards the door.

Rumpelstiltskin was just a few paces down the hall before Belle had said anything.

"Rumple?" she called, "Could you please, um, stay with me tonight?" she asked, slightly nervous.

He paused and turned back towards her room. "If you wish so."

Belle let out a relieved sigh. "Thanks."

"It's not matter."

She patted the other side of the bed. "Come. Sit down. I believe you owe me a story."

"Yes, I believe I do," he remembered. He moved to the opposite side of her bed and sat down beside her; laying back and propped up against the pillows just as she.

"Now, tell me about your son," she said once he was settled. She took another sip of tea.

He cleared his throat. "His name was Baelfire. A brilliant boy, a better man at fourteen than I could ever be. His mother left us when he was about six years old. Apparently she could no longer to stay with a coward. Before Bae was born, I was called to the front for the Ogre Wars. I thought it was an opportunity to finally redeem myself. My father had also been branded a coward and that's all people ever thought of when they saw me. Anyways, I left for the camp and begun training. A few months had passed and another soldier asked me to look after this cart. He said there was a beast inside the covered cage. I lifted the ratty, old cover and there was a child, a girl, with sewn shut eyes and eyes on her hands. She was a seer; someone who could see the future. She told me my wife, Milah, was with child. She told me that my actions on the battlefield would leave my child fatherless. I was terrified. I didn't want my boy to grow up without a father the same way I did. So I panicked. I took an axe to my knee. After I had healed a bit, I hobbled home. By then, my son was already born. My wife was ashamed with me. She would rather I had died on the battlefield than return home. A few years later, she left with a pirate."

There was a short spell of silence between them.

"That's awful," she said quietly.

"Yes, and the worst part was that I thought I loved her. I suppose I was wrong. The only thing that I hated more than her leaving me was her leaving Bae. She left without even giving him a second thought. By the time he was a teenager, the Ogre Wars were still being fought. They were still forcing people to enlist and they ensured that they would because they had control of the most powerful being in all the lands: the Dark One. They had his dagger. Whoever had possession of the dagger could force the Dark One to do anything that they pleased. Bae was coming of age. He was about to turn fourteen and on his birthday, they were going to draft him into the war. So many countless children had lost their lives in that war. A beggar told me of the Dark One and his capabilities. He told me if I had the dagger, then I could control him, and if I killed him with it, then I could take his powers. I stole the dagger and summoned the Dark One. He baited me, telling me that Bae wasn't even my child, that I was a coward. I stabbed with that dagger and removed the hood from his face. It was the beggar. He said that his life was a burden, that it was now my burden. My name appeared on that dagger. I was now the Dark One. The first thing I did was stop the soldiers from taking my boy to war. They were dragging him out of our house as I arrived. Then I ended the war and took the children home. After that, power corrupted me. I ended hurting or killing anybody who caused anything close to harm to Bae. And he hated it. He wanted his papa back. He asked me that if he could find a way for me to get rid of these powers and not be killed, if I would do it. I promised him yes. He talked to the Blue Fairy. She gave him the last magic bean in existence. A bean that could take us to a world without magic. We went into the woods and he threw the beam down. A vortex, a portal of some sort appeared on the ground. It was terrifying but Bae didn't care. I told him that it was a trick, that I couldn't do it, and that it would kill us. Bae slipped and i was being pulled into the portal. I grabbed his arm. He yelled at me, saying that I was coward. I'm not sure if one of us let go, or if he slipped but he fell in and then was gone. I've spent almost three hundred years looking for him."

Belle blinked a few tears out of her eyes. "And that's why you need magic. To find your son."

Rumple nodded. "And I'm close Belle, so close."

She wasn't sure what he meant by that, but my this time, she was already drifting off to sleep, dreaming about a boy with dark hair and brown eyes.

**A/N Well hello there! Thanks for reading. Special thanks to all who reviewed, favorited, and/or followed. Let me know what you think:)**


	3. Chapter 3

"No, stop it! Let go of me!"

Rumpelstiltskin was startled awake by Belle's thrashing and yelling.

"No, please don't!"

"Belle! Belle, sweetheart wake up. It's only a dream," he said, trying to calm her. He gently shook her shoulder in attempt to wake her.

Belle's eyes flew open and tears started to stream down her cheeks. She moved so that she was closer to Rumple and buried her face in the crook of his neck as he stroked her head, trying to comfort her.

"Shhh. You're fine. They can't hurt you here and they will never hurt you again," he assured her.

Belle eventually calmed down enough to where she fell asleep again on Rumple's shoulder. He slowly lowered them down so that they were more comfortably lying down. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as she slept, eventually drifting back to sleep with her.

The second time Belle awoke, it was much more peacefully. It took her a few moments to remember where she was and why she was lying in a man's arms, but she soon realized her location and smiled to herself. She was wrapped in her True Love's arms.

Sun light was peeking through the stain glass windows and drifted towards Rumple's closed eyes, causing him to stir. Belle noticed his slight movement and decided he was awake enough.

"Good morning," she chimed.

"Mmmm..Good morning," he mumbled.

She giggled at his lack of being a morning person. Belle attempted to get up from his embrace but that only caused him to hold on tighter.

Belle laughed. "Are we ever going to get up?"

"Nope," he mumbled.

"What about to make breakfast?"

"Mmmmmm..No," he said and then pecked her forehead. A few moments later, he stomach started to rumble.

Belle started to laugh. "Are you sure? I think your stomach says otherwise."

"Doesn't matter. There's nothing consumable in the kitchen anyways."

"What have you been eating then?"

"Not much at all really. If it got to the point where I really needed to eat, I just," he snapped his fingers and two plates of scrambled eggs and toast and tea appeared on the small table, "did that."

"Where does it come from?" Belle asked out of curiosity.

"I'm not quite sure. It doesn't taste quite as good as it does when it is made by hand though. Magic always comes with a price."

"We'll have to go to the market sometime today and get groceries and other supplies."

"If you insist, dearie."

Belle made another attempt to sit up, this time succeeding. She rose from the bed and walked over to the table where she sat down and started her breakfast. Rumple joined her shortly.

Rumpelstiltskin straight of bed was a sight to see. His already unkempt hair was sticking every which way.

Belle looked up at Rumple and slightly grinned at his appearance. Rumple didn't notice.

"Magicked food or not, this is the best form of sustenance I have had in months," Belle said lightly.

Rumple's face twinged at her comment about her stay with the Queen.

"Yes, well, when we're finished eating, we can get dressed and walk into town. It is quite lovely out today," Rumple observed, staring out the window.

They finished their breakfast in a comfortable silence and Rumple left Belle alone to change into something more suitable while he did the same in his room. They met each other again in the dining hall.

"Shall we?" he asked holding out his arm.

She took it happily and they both headed out the overly large doors of the castle and down the long road that lead to the nearest village. Belle had a wicker basket on her other arm.

"Does anybody in this village know of you?" he asked her.

"I've been here maybe twice. Once to get your straw and then another time I visited the tavern after I left."

Rumple looked down out the ground at the reminder of how he forced her to leave.

Belle stopped walking. "Hey," she said, bringing a hand to his face, "Please don't continue to blame yourself for this. I forgave you a long time ago. I don't blame you for anything. I love you."

Rumple grabbed the hand that was on his cheek and kissed her palm. "I love you too."

They continued down the road and made it to the small village within half an hour.

"Get whatever you feel is necessary. I am going to lay low. People seem to panic when they see me, as they should," he said with a high pitched giggle.

Belle playfully smacked his arm. "You make yourself out worse than you actually are."

"Yes well, what I am implies bad things. The title 'Dark One' doesn't exactly bring pleasant thoughts to the mind."

"It brings pleasant thoughts to my mind," she said with a smirk.

"Only you my Belle, only you."

Belle searched her way through the market and got a few food items that she thought that were needed. She was getting a sack of flour when the vendor, a brawny man that appeared to be around the age of 30, gave her some trouble.

"Will that will be all miss?"

"Yes, sir," Belle answered politely. Belle handed the man the appropriate amount of gold in exchange for the flour. The man stared at it oddly.

"Well that is a peculiar way of buying things, don't you think?" the man asked amused.

"I suppose so, yes," Belle laughed lightly. "Well, thank you. I'll be off now."

"Do you need any help taking that stuff home?"

"Oh no, I'll be find. I have someone else around here to help me."

"Then at least give me your name."

"Belle. Now if you'll excuse me, I must be going."

"And where can I find you again Belle?"

"I don't need you to be finding me again," Belle informed.

"Who are you to say so?" the man asked, becoming annoyed.

"Excuse you, but I can decide who I will and will not see," Belle said, turning to walk away. The man grabbed her arm and turned her towards him.

"Ah come on sweet heart, just give me a chance."

"I believe they lady said no," a low voice in a hood said from behind him.

The man turned around and scoffed. "She doesn't know what she wants."

"I believe I do," Belle said, reaching for Rumples arm.

The two turned to walk away. "Who are you anyways?" the man asked and the grabbed Rumples hood, pulling it down. Needless to say, his reaction to finding the Dark One under the hood was priceless.

"Now, unless you have a death wish, I suggest that you leave her be."

"Wait. You're _with_ him?"

"Yes. Now goodbye!"

The two left and began their journey back home.

"I don't think I will ever tire of seeing people's reactions to you being with me."

**A/N Thanks for reading. Special thanks to all that reviewed, favorited, and/or followed. :) feel free to leave suggestions. :) :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**One year later.**

Rumpelstiltskin and Belle eventually fell into a comfortable routine. Belle would tend to some housework although nowhere near as much as she had done before. Living in such a large estate required a large amount of work for upkeep and they both found that they were content to only manage the rooms and corridors that they actually frequented. When Belle wasn't cleaning, she spent a majority of her time in their enormous library. Rumpelstiltskin often would find her asleep with a book half open while she casually laid on the small sofa. He always made it a point to see her throughout the day as often as possible, but as of late; he had been having difficulty doing so. Rumpelstiltskin spent most days in his laboratory. He was working on something unbeknownst to Belle as to what it was. However, she was becoming more curious by the day. She respected his privacy and his need to keep secrets but she felt that whatever he was working on for so long was something bigger than his silly dealings.

Belle knocked on the wooden door of Rumple's laboratory. She cracked the door open and peered in.

"Is it safe to come in?" she asked.

He grinned slightly at the sound her voice. "Magic is never safe, but that's never stopped you before dearie," he mused. He turned around on his stool so that he was faced away from his table full of potions.

Belle took this opportunity to sit on is lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he kissed the side of her forehead.

"You need to get out of this lair more often," she told him.

"Tell you what. How about for dinner, we go out for a picnic. Say around sunset?"

"That sounds wonderful!" she squealed.

"I'm glad you think so. But until then, I need to finish something, so off with you," he said as he playfully shooed her off of him.

* * *

A few hours passed and sunset was nearing. When Belle went to prepare a basket for their dinner, she found that Rumpelstiltskin had already beat her to it. They met in the dining hall before leaving.

"So where are you taking me?"she asked as she linked arms with him.

"Nowhere you haven't been before. The pond," he answered.

The pond. It was one of the more beautiful parts of his estate. Crystal clear water surrounded by freshly blossomed spring daisies around this time of the year. It was abnormally warm out for this time of the year, but Rumple packed an extra cloak in case the temperature decided to drop. With in a few minutes, they arrived at the pond. Belle spread the blanket out on the soft grass while Rumple got out the plates and wine glasses. Next, he served their meal: roasted chicken, fresh rolls, and mashed potatoes, all of which were still warm. Belle poured them each a glass of wine. They ate their dinner, stealing bites from each other, teasing, and conversing.

"So what brought on all this?" Belle asked as she was finishing her meal.

"Think about it dearie. What happened a year ago today?" He asked her.

Belle smiled. "It's already been a year since I came home?"

Rumpelstiltskin moved behind Belle's sitting form. She leaned backed against his chest and he kissed her neck.

"Indeed it has." He paused. "Belle, there has been a reason as to why I've been locked up in that wretched room for most hours of the day. Well, actually two reasons. One is because of a deal that I had made a few years ago. A curse to end all curses. The Dark Curse. And because of that title, I will leave further explanation to another day, I'd rather not ruin this night with talk of it," he said into her ear.

Trusting that he would soon tell her of his plans, she let it slide. "And what's the other reason?" she asked.

"The other reason," he began, "is this." He waved his hand and wisps of purple smoke released a gold ring into his palm. The ring hand been spun from gold thread and contained the most beautiful, shimmering diamond.

"It's beautiful," she whispered. Her breath quickened when it dawned on her what was happening.

"Not quite as beautiful and wonderful as you though. Belle, there hasn't exactly been much in my life that would qualify as spectacular. You started out as a brief flicker of light amidst an ocean of darkness and you evolved into this ever lasting glow that fills my heart. I love you my dearest Belle. Would you do me the extraordinary honor in becoming my wife?"

Belle was grinning from ear to ear with happy tears streaming down her face. "Yes! Of course!" she shrieked.

Rumpelstiltskin placed the ring on her finger. A perfect fit. A shimmer of light danced briefly across the metal of the ring before dulling. Rumpelstiltskin wrapped his arms around her and placed kisses on her temple, cheek, and jaw.

"This ring is enchanted my dear. As long as you are wearing it, I will always be a call away," he informed her.

"I thought you always heard when a person called you."

"Yes, but I am very good at drowning those calls out. With this, I won't be able to ignore it."

"Like I would ever let you ignore me," she teased. "There's just one problem."

"What is that sweetheart?"

"Who is going to marry us?" she laughed.

He laughed with her. "I believe I know of someone who owes me something."

"Of course you do," she teased.

**A/N**

**Sorry it took so long to update. I thought I told you people to send me hate mail if I waited this long to post a new chapter lol Anyways, thanks for reading. Special thanks to all how followed, favorited, and reviewed. Let me know what you think:)**


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